~ a sometimes intrepid exploration of a virtual world

Blessed Thanksgiving

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving if you celebrate it and a blessed day if you do not. Today’s photos were taken at Trainwatcher’s Station, a 512 plot on the Atoll, which exhibits a wonderful spirit that can still be found on the mainland.

From the land description: “For stranded train travelers. To rest, eat, read, wash up and hang your clothes to dry.”

Trainwatchers Station is in Taeniatum at the location of the previous Trainwatchers Cafe.

In the real world, we’re supposed to have freedom of speech here in the US. That’s one of the reasons people publicly air their lists of grievances. Most of us are becoming aware that things need to change; many of us have known for decades.

Having endured long term injustices and intense, relentless suffering or simply being ignored too often and too long, it’s challenging for many to temper their speech.

Every which way I turn, there’s someone on social media or in the news who doesn’t know me as an individual, who would likely never have a care or thought about me, who is including me in some blanket statement about people of my gender, race, nationality, generation, sexual orientation, spiritual outlook, “social class”, education level, general political outlook and ability, etc.

After a while it becomes an annoying, saddening, slimy, droning background static.I have been treated badly and unfairly by all sorts of people. For me personally, most of it has been about my mystery illness which is mostly due to pesticides, heavy metals, viruses and trauma. We live in a world where if someone hasn’t experienced something, it doesn’t exist. It’s so easy to make judgments about someone’s character when there are unknown reasons for apparent behaviors.My approach is to not deny what is happening, to take responsibility as best I can, to live my life as though it matters, to work for societal and cultural change and to regard and treat others with respect and kindness. I tend to walk away when someone right in front of me doesn’t see or hear me as an individual, won’t get their face out of their electronics or their head out of their ass or obliviously stumbles through their life in a bubble. I don’t know what brought them to that point and I don’t have the energy to work at it.

Second Life ~ where you can bathe while washing your clothes and wave at passing train riders or empty trains.

In our virtual world, when I’m feeling well enough, I like to keep an open mind about people. I have met some lovely avatars here as well as some boors, perverts, emotional vampires, spiritual zombies and those who have no concept of equal footing and sharing. I strive to avoid being unkind and to walk away quickly; I don’t know why and how the human behind the avatar has arrived at that point.

I continue to mostly enjoy SL as a creative outlet no matter how many arrogant, stuck-up, snobby, disparaging, condescending avatars sling around words like “less than stellar, mediocre, monstrosity and the like. I have no intention of slinking away and hiding my learning and experimentation.

Creativity isn’t only for real life professional artists, people with art degrees, people with high end computers, those who work in the tech industry and those who are (at the moment) physically, mentally, emotionally and financially somewhat whole and stable.

Circumstances can change rapidly. A person or one of their loved ones can reach the threshold of their personal rain-barrel effect on this poisoned planet. Again, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, have a blessed day. Keep smiling when you can, keep making stuff and sharing it and please be kind and patient.